


Kindness is Like Snow

by Storiesofheroes



Series: LeoSaku Week 2016 [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Invisible Kingdom | Revelation Route, LeoSaku Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 15:56:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8923327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storiesofheroes/pseuds/Storiesofheroes
Summary: Leon goes to the medical tent looking for Odin, and ends up talking with Sakura.





	

Sakura has always loved winter. When she was younger, Kazahana would take her away from the castle, to play together in the snow. Sakura was rather introverted, and she was glad to have someone to take her out and see all sorts of places, and play in the snow.

Then, years later, it was snowing when she finally met Kamui again. Kamui, her beloved sister whom she hasn't seen in years, not since the night her father was killed, and she was kidnapped by Nohr.

She remembered that day very clearly, seeing Kamui and Ryouma defeating the bandits, having Kamui check up on her to make sure she was okay, and the shocked look on Hinoka's face after Kamui spoke to her, though back then, she wasn't aware it was because Hinoka realized this was their missing sister. She also remembered the way Hinoka cried back then, so happy to finally be reunited with her beloved sister again.

More than anything, though, she remembered the day Kamui declared she wasn't siding with either Nohr or Hoshido. Everyone was so surprised, and there was a lot of hurt, too, each side believing this meant Kamui betrayed them in favor of the other side. But Sakura wasn't so convinced. Even if she barely knew her sister, she believed Kamui wanted what was best, though perhaps she didn't go about it the best way.

She also remembered the first time she saw Prince Leon of Nohr. After joining Kamui, she was held hostage in a later battle by Zola, a Nohrian dark mage who disguised himself as Izana. 

However, before anyone could do anything, sharp trees shot up from the ground, impaling Zola, but not harming her. She was surprised, and looked around to see who could've done that. She heard a voice, and everyone's attention turned to Prince Leon, who was apparently responsible for killing Zola.

Sakura felt grateful towards him for saving her, but at the same time, he was an enemy, and saving her was only a side-effect. Besides, he intimidated her more than anything.

Regardless, Kamui's efforts to unite both kingdoms soon proved successful, and Kamui finally revealed the truth she was hiding for so long. The invisible kingdom, Valla, the invisible Vallite soldiers who were their true enemy all along, and the curse which prevented her from saying any of it. Sakura felt a strong pang of sympathy for her sister then. It must've been hard for her to keep all of that a secret, and to deal with her family disbelieving her.

But she felt even more sympathy for Aqua, the older sister whom she always loved and felt close to. She knew the truth for even longer, and Valla was her kingdom. It was no wonder to her now that Aqua has always been distant and almost sad.

What truly troubled Sakura now, however, was far simpler. Her problem was that she couldn't get along with the Nohrian royal family. Well, perhaps that's a poor way to phrase it, she got along with them, but with the exception of Princess Elise, she was too scared to speak to any of them.

Prince Marx was a grim and serious man, who carried no warmth, Princess Camilla took great delight in battle and was completely ruthless to her enemies, and Prince Leon who was cold and pragmatic, too pragmatic, in her opinion.

Princess Elise, whom she did become good friends with, disagreed, insisting she'll like her siblings once she got to know them. Sakura thought Elise could have very well been right, but whenever she spoke to any of them, she quickly became anxious and scared.

However, it seemed Elise's wish became true sooner than either of them expected, because in a snowy winter day, Sakura finally started getting to know Prince Leon.

It was after yet another battle, and Sakura was healing the injured soldiers. Prince Leon entered the medical tent and looked around, as if he was searching for someone. His presence made her feel nervous, so hoping to get him to leave faster, she said, "P-prince Leon, do you need anything?"

His eyes settled on her, which only made her more nervous, and regret calling out to him in the first place. "Princess Sakura," he said. "I was only looking for my retainer, who got badly injured at the last battle. His name is Odin, he's a dark mage and a... unique character."

Sakura thought about it for a bit, and soon remembered a soldier she helped earlier. She thought he seemed familiar, but didn't realize he was Prince Leon's retainer then. He was certainly unique, either way, and to be truthful, she didn't understand a single word of what he said. She thought these sort of theatrics might be popular in Nohr, but judging by Prince Leon calling him unique, even his Nohrian allies regard him as strange.

Sakura realized she spaced out, so she hastily nodded and said, "y-yes, or I t-think so, at least. I helped him earlier that day. I wasn't done with healing his wounds though, but he said something about not being able to control the darkness inside of him and left..."

Prince Leon sighed. "That's certainly him. I'm sorry for any trouble he may have caused you."

Sakura tried to give a reassuring smile. "It's fine. Helping others is my duty."

Prince Leon looked at her for a while, increasing her anxiety and making her wonder if she said or did something wrong, before asking, "Princess Sakura, if you don't mind telling me, why did you choose to become a shrine maiden?"

"W-what do you mean?" Sakura asked, taken back by his question.

She thought he seemed vaguely irritated by her question, but he returned to his regular stoic expression before she could be sure. "What I mean is, you're a princess, you don't have to to fight at the battlefield, and by choosing to become a healer, you put yourself in danger for the sake of others, while having no way of protecting yourself," he clarified.

Sakura considered his question for a while, knowing the answer, but not knowing how to put it into words. She wanted to help others, those who are sick and injured and in pain. She hated seeing them suffer so much, it almost felt as if their suffering was her own. 

She pondered all of it in her head for a moment. "I w-want to help," she answered. "Whenever I see others in pain, I feel like I need to help them, and becoming a shrine maiden was the best way to do it. B-besides, you're royalty, too, you don't need to fight either."

She didn't mention the part about feeling like a burden, how it made her feel useful, and how sometimes, she even deluded herself into thinking she could become as useful as her siblings. That part was a secret, something she hid and kept to herself, and he was a stranger, she could never say that to him.

"You're mistaken, Princess Sakura," said Prince Leon, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I'm a warrior, and you're a healer. A warrior could gain glory, recognition, and fame in exchange for putting themselves in danger, or perhaps what they seek is the thrill of battle. A healer can't gain something for themselves, unless they find comfort in helping others and feel useful that way, which typically speaks of having a kind heart. You chose to become a healer because you're an empathetic and selfless person."

She didn't know what to say, so she nodded. "T-that may be so, but I still don't see why you asked me that question."

Prince Leon smiled, or at least came close to it. "Just curiosity. It's not often you meet someone who was born into such a high position, and could easily choose to live a luxurious sheltered life, yet they maintain a kind heart, and choose to work for others instead," he answered. "You're an interesting character, Princess Sakura. Now, I have to leave, I'm sure you're busy, and I have my own share of work to do."

And just like that, he left. Sakura looked at him as he left the tent, her cheeks heating up, and kept looking in that direction a little after he left, before snapping out of her thoughts and returning to her work. She couldn't let anything, or in this case, anyone distract her from her duty. She just hoped no one noticed the blush on her cheeks.

He wasn't as intimidating as she thought he would be. If anything, she could see them becoming friends. It would make Elise happy, and for some reason, she wanted to spend more time with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is one day late, but I was very busy yesterday. I'll post today's prompt today as well if I can. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed reading this.


End file.
